Last month, shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt lodged a formal complaint to the BBC Trust after the BBC confirmed it would keep new government business tsar, Lord Sugar, on the hit show.
Hunt argued Sugar's dual role as a government adviser, with the Labour whip, and a leading personality with the BBC "could have serious consequences for the BBC's political independence".
Today, however, the BBC Trust said Sugar's role does not breach any of its editorial guidelines.
But its ruling does mean the BBC will probably have to reschedule the show away from its usual Spring slot. This year the show ran between April and June.
The Trust ruled that, with the next General Election likely to occur within the next 11 months, "there is a risk that broadcasting The Apprentice and/or Junior Apprentice when the next General Election is imminent or during the election period for the next General Election would be likely to compromise the BBC's impartiality and/or undermine public confidence in the BBC".
It added that such a risk could emerge because "the role Sir Alan has chosen to take in relation to the present government could lead the public to view his presence on screen during an election campaign as undue or unfair publicity for the Labour Party."
In conclusion, the Trust said the BBC must give "due consideration to the implications of showing the programmes during the period for the next General Election or when the next General Election is imminent."
A BBC spokesman said: "The Trust has emphasised that all scheduling decisions are a matter for the BBC Executive. However, the Executive has noted the Trust 's clear view on the particular sensitivity of broadcasting The Apprentice during an election period. If the next general election falls in the first part of 2010, the Executive will of course bear the Trust's view in mind when it considers when to transmit the next series of The Apprentice."
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